[Milltown Cleaning]

im going to market that slogan now milltown, would fit in better up your end though said in a belfast twang hows the business going now? wee question you in facebook lol

how dare you say that!! im no where near belfast! would hate to have that accent!

going ok, had a couple of bad weeks there, no more than steady at the moment. need to deliver/door knock more though.

aye im on facebook

[Steve CM]

I don't think the 3 clean rule is a con. I think its just a disclaimer to cover our arses.

I agree that time should be spent on first cleans and attention to detail is vital. But sometimes you could spend a long time on them and they won't be 100%

The odd spot, spec or run may still be visible. There are many variables why this may happen but it should only be minimal.

it can take 1, 2, 3 or even 4 cleans on some windows to get them perfect. not on many but it can happen.

I always say to the guys that we only get 1 chance to impress them and the first cleans are really important in building the relationship.

I think the 3 month rule is good because if there not expecting them to be 100% and you achieve that with 90% of new customers then they'll think your great!

thats the poorest excuse Ive heard,   1,2,3,4 cleans before the glass is clean   if it takes you that you should be working in a factory and defo not window cleaning because to be honest you cant be much cop if it takes you that many cleans.

SO ITS OFFICAL THEN ?   window cleaning is as complicated as brain surgery

because thats how you nake it sound

Ok then you know best?

I take it ionic trained you then!

[JRDEasiReach]

Milltown im sorry i saw the name and thought you were from the city, where you based then?  Its hard getting out knocking at the minute, weather doesnt exactly bode well and when its raining you always get the NO's at every door, not at the minute i always get, hate that line send me an email and ill tell you who to search for on FB and you can add me

[Bobs Window Cleaning]

This topic is so gonna open a can of worms

Personally i feel  I can  answer this as I have been wfp for around 3 years but don't think I could have after being wfp for only a few months like some.

I have had some windows looking crap after 3,4 or even 5 cleans so to have them spotless after 1 clean is unlikely but saying that, sometimes they have looked great after a first clean.



I certainly dont think telling a customer "it may take 3 cleans to get them perfect" is a con. As this seem to be the norm advise you get when you purchase a system from the companies that sell the systems.


Bob

[Window Washers]

Quoted a house yesterday eve and was asked if I could clean today which I did ( £30 regular clean )

As I was round the back cleaning the lady brings me out a cuppa and starts chatting away when she quips now on month 3 the windows will be gleaming then ?

Now love your windows will be gleaming after Ive cleaned them today,       oh she says but my friend a couple of miles down the road has also just had her windows cleaned and the guy told her it would take 3 cleans before the windows were right.

I told her that the guy has told her friend a blatent pack of lies so he can rush through as quick as possible and get to the next job,  its a total con I told her and explained that if she took her car for a valet and was told that it would take 3 seperate valets to bring it up nice  would she pay ?      no way she said,   yet you were prepared 3 times beore your windows were cleaned properly I said.

I then told her that if the windows were not gleaming after I cleaned then she was NOT TO PAY
 anyway after I finished she told me how delighted she was and would be recommending me to others.


with that her friend calls and she tells her everything I said and her friend asked her if I could come to hers after I finished and have a look at her windows.        so I went down ther gave her a quote ( 25 )   and cleaned them there and then.

after I finished she said the difference was amazing and that I had actually taken 15 minutes longer than the other guy who she was now calling for everything and I don't blame her.


I don't feel bad about taking his job   in fact I feel quite good,    maybe if he did the job properly and not try to use that stupid 3 clean con trick he wouldn't lose his work.

I mean how hard is it to clean a window ?    it aint rocket science.

Could I ask how long you have been cleaning windows for and how long you have been using wfp ?

[matt]

I don't think the 3 clean rule is a con. I think its just a disclaimer to cover our arses.

I agree that time should be spent on first cleans and attention to detail is vital. But sometimes you could spend a long time on them and they won't be 100%

The odd spot, spec or run may still be visible. There are many variables why this may happen but it should only be minimal.

it can take 1, 2, 3 or even 4 cleans on some windows to get them perfect. not on many but it can happen.

I always say to the guys that we only get 1 chance to impress them and the first cleans are really important in building the relationship.

I think the 3 month rule is good because if there not expecting them to be 100% and you achieve that with 90% of new customers then they'll think your great!

good post

the 3 clean is about right, we all know that the rubbers seals might not be 100 % and it takes a few cleans to get rid of the dirt trapped AND washing up liquid residue under the seals

of course you should aim to get them 100 % first time, BUT how many people clean a house even a few years on and its not 100 %, if you say your cleaning is 100 % clean 100 % of the time, you are kidding yourself

[bad trippy]

On a lot of first cleans i will trad especially new builds where there is builders mess on the glass, i would be lost without me trusted unger scraper.
Plus if you trad first time you can get most of the dirt out of the frames using wet cloth dry cloth method

[leapstallbuildings]

My take on it is that there are sometimes imperfections left after the first clean has dried out.  To minimise this, I reckon it's usually (though not always) necessary to go round twice.  Once to scrub up the frames, glass and sills.  The second time glass only.  This is because it can take a while for dirty water to finish trickling from the top of the frame and the glass only second pass clears that up.  Although I often do this at standard rate, if I sense that it might be a short term customer, I will either charge more for the first clean (and tell them I need two passes) or I will just go around the once and tell them that there may be imperfections left.  So, I do give the customer what they pay for but if they want a double clean for standard rate when I am sensing that they may not be around long, then they are going to have to either pay more for it or poke up with the first clean not being ideal. 

[Carl2009]

I've been cleaning (99% of jobs wfp) since April. My experience is that it can take a few cleans to get the windows spotless on some properties. I don't think it's a con. We wfp cleaners can usually deliver a very acceptable clean first time round on just about all jobs however I have experienced filthy vents that drip water after you've cleaned (even after you have gone away to another window and then returned to rinse again). It's great to see algae running away from the glass and frames. I always warn that grey stains won't come off without a proprietary cleaner - people tell me not to worry. I price some first cleans to allow me to take the time necessary to give a great result.

From the ground and looking high up it's hard to actually see fly poo and bee poo / snail trails, so some of these might not be cleaned thoroughly first time - they don't come off with a porcupine applicator or the scouring end of an Unger monsoon applicator either and i'd be willing to wager that trad guys doing 25 a day don't scrape every such window... Hydrophobic glass always makes wfp cleaning harder. I'd ban the damned stuff.

As you clean a second or third time vents come clean (I wash them every visit to gradually get them clean); first time though (and maybe with tfr) fly poo comes off with a bit of elbow grease; ditto snail trails. It's just high up that they might be a problem.

This is not a dig at trad guys - biggup the ladder posse - but they generally don't do the frames. I spend time getting as much spider webs out of the corner (and I mean where the bricks abutt the frame, not where the glass meets the frame, i.e. the reveal). Wfp cleaners could have a go at them saying they are glass cleaners, not window cleaners, but this is the quick route to disaster in my book - we shouldn't be fighting. If custies want a trad guy to do the frames - he probably will, but will rightly charge them for it, so the clean will be double the price at least; algae covered and they are gonna need a mortgage for me to do a house trad! It just happens that wfp cleaners do the frames as well.

In my book, in competent hands, a good job for an acceptable price is delivered by both methods, from the first clean.

[gewindows]

This ones gonna run and run  

Ive been WFP  getting on for 2 years and on one of the offices I do with wooden frames it took at least a year to 15 months for it to come up clear of chemical residue from the previous traditional methods of cleaning. Thats about 10-12 cleans I'd say.

Perhaps its just that I just dont know what Im doing (Im sure you'll try to imply that) or perhaps some windows are better suited than others. I think its good and proper to advise customers that occasionally they'll find there is some residue that is left from previous cleans.

One day we all find that happens; its inevitable, all the more harder to swallow though when you believe you're better than the previous guy.

[ftp]

I think in this poor weather it's easy to imagine you are perfect ' cos you are unlikely to see the full results. Wait till the summer and you'll be back on here like me moaning about how dodgy wfp results can be. Nearly three years no for me and I've yet to get a perfect clean on a whole house. First cleans are a nightmare if you want perfection.

[stephen s]

Quoted a house yesterday eve and was asked if I could clean today which I did ( £30 regular clean )

As I was round the back cleaning the lady brings me out a cuppa and starts chatting away when she quips now on month 3 the windows will be gleaming then ?

Now love your windows will be gleaming after Ive cleaned them today,       oh she says but my friend a couple of miles down the road has also just had her windows cleaned and the guy told her it would take 3 cleans before the windows were right.

I told her that the guy has told her friend a blatent pack of lies so he can rush through as quick as possible and get to the next job,  its a total con I told her and explained that if she took her car for a valet and was told that it would take 3 seperate valets to bring it up nice  would she pay ?      no way she said,   yet you were prepared 3 times beore your windows were cleaned properly I said.

I then told her that if the windows were not gleaming after I cleaned then she was NOT TO PAY
 anyway after I finished she told me how delighted she was and would be recommending me to others.


with that her friend calls and she tells her everything I said and her friend asked her if I could come to hers after I finished and have a look at her windows.        so I went down ther gave her a quote ( 25 )   and cleaned them there and then.

after I finished she said the difference was amazing and that I had actually taken 15 minutes longer than the other guy who she was now calling for everything and I don't blame her.


I don't feel bad about taking his job   in fact I feel quite good,    maybe if he did the job properly and not try to use that stupid 3 clean con trick he wouldn't lose his work.

I mean how hard is it to clean a window ?    it aint rocket science.

Could I ask how long you have been cleaning windows for and how long you have been using wfp ?

cleaned window many years ago  but have been WFP just over 3 years and I always clean frames on windows and doors and conservatories  and never had a 1st clean yet that hasn't looiked spot on when Ive finnished

[ftp]

May I ask when was the last time you had an eye test?

[Bobs Window Cleaning]

Stephen

I'm not doubting your cleaning skills but....They always look clean when you have finished. Its after a couple of hours when the windows have dried and you are long gone, this is when you get problems ie spotting.

Bob

[Window Washers]

Quoted a house yesterday eve and was asked if I could clean today which I did ( £30 regular clean )

As I was round the back cleaning the lady brings me out a cuppa and starts chatting away when she quips now on month 3 the windows will be gleaming then ?

Now love your windows will be gleaming after Ive cleaned them today,       oh she says but my friend a couple of miles down the road has also just had her windows cleaned and the guy told her it would take 3 cleans before the windows were right.

I told her that the guy has told her friend a blatent pack of lies so he can rush through as quick as possible and get to the next job,  its a total con I told her and explained that if she took her car for a valet and was told that it would take 3 seperate valets to bring it up nice  would she pay ?      no way she said,   yet you were prepared 3 times beore your windows were cleaned properly I said.

I then told her that if the windows were not gleaming after I cleaned then she was NOT TO PAY
 anyway after I finished she told me how delighted she was and would be recommending me to others.


with that her friend calls and she tells her everything I said and her friend asked her if I could come to hers after I finished and have a look at her windows.        so I went down ther gave her a quote ( 25 )   and cleaned them there and then.

after I finished she said the difference was amazing and that I had actually taken 15 minutes longer than the other guy who she was now calling for everything and I don't blame her.


I don't feel bad about taking his job   in fact I feel quite good,    maybe if he did the job properly and not try to use that stupid 3 clean con trick he wouldn't lose his work.

I mean how hard is it to clean a window ?    it aint rocket science.

Could I ask how long you have been cleaning windows for and how long you have been using wfp ?

cleaned window many years ago  but have been WFP just over 3 years and I always clean frames on windows and doors and conservatories  and never had a 1st clean yet that hasn't looiked spot on when Ive finnished

Do you stanbd there and wait for the windows to all dry ? and also check them with a ladder ? I am not in anyway knocking your cleaning becaise I do not know what it is like, what I feel is a bit ott is that you seem to think you do not get any problems on any of your cleans, the reason some will say it can take upto three cleans is because they are being honest that there could be a problem, I feel you are leaving yourself wide open to people laughing at you

[stephen s]

I certainly dont think telling a customer "it may take 3 cleans to get them perfect" is a con. As this seem to be the norm advise you get when you purchase a system from the companies that sell the systems





I do cos it is a con,  its utter drivel   hence the reason the 2nd customer today was happy to pay the extra £3 to have the windows cleaned PROPERLY      maybe its because some people are just too lazy to put the effort in so they come out with that tripe.

as for the norm advice you say ?  don't know what company you got your system from Bob but I'm afraid theve told you a bare faced pack of lies

will say it again HOW HARD IS IT TO CLEAN A PIECE OF GLASS ?    answers over the next 3 months  

[Sapphire Window Cleaning]

Quoted a house yesterday eve and was asked if I could clean today which I did ( £30 regular clean )

As I was round the back cleaning the lady brings me out a cuppa and starts chatting away when she quips now on month 3 the windows will be gleaming then ?

Now love your windows will be gleaming after Ive cleaned them today,       oh she says but my friend a couple of miles down the road has also just had her windows cleaned and the guy told her it would take 3 cleans before the windows were right.

I told her that the guy has told her friend a blatent pack of lies so he can rush through as quick as possible and get to the next job,  its a total con I told her and explained that if she took her car for a valet and was told that it would take 3 seperate valets to bring it up nice  would she pay ?      no way she said,   yet you were prepared 3 times beore your windows were cleaned properly I said.

I then told her that if the windows were not gleaming after I cleaned then she was NOT TO PAY
 anyway after I finished she told me how delighted she was and would be recommending me to others.


with that her friend calls and she tells her everything I said and her friend asked her if I could come to hers after I finished and have a look at her windows.        so I went down ther gave her a quote ( 25 )   and cleaned them there and then.

after I finished she said the difference was amazing and that I had actually taken 15 minutes longer than the other guy who she was now calling for everything and I don't blame her.


I don't feel bad about taking his job   in fact I feel quite good,    maybe if he did the job properly and not try to use that stupid 3 clean con trick he wouldn't lose his work.

I mean how hard is it to clean a window ?    it aint rocket science.

Could I ask how long you have been cleaning windows for and how long you have been using wfp ?

cleaned window many years ago  but have been WFP just over 3 years and I always clean frames on windows and doors and conservatories  and never had a 1st clean yet that hasn't looiked spot on when Ive finnished

You must be very arrogant or naive!!
I think the former, solely because the way you are talking to other members of this forum!!
You have been cleaning for 3 years?
not very long if you take into account most of us on here have been window cleaning for OVER 10 YEARS!
Cleaning windows and frames is different to restoring them!
some stains will not come off UPVC frames and sils!

[Bobs Window Cleaning]

Stephen

Calm down bud

I got my systems (all 3 of them) from Pure Freedom who have one of the best reputations for honesty in their trade. Had they told me a  bare faced pack of lies, I wouldn't have used them.

You are saying that you tell your customers that you clean perfect from the first clean.

Tell me Stephen....from that statement.....Who sounds like a conman?

Bob

[m b shaw]

i m just glad we ve got some real experts on here now instead of people like us who have only been w/c 25 years and wfp about 7

[Clive McDonald]

I still get caught out, there are lots of unknowable reasons why a first clean might not come good.I could give you ten in a list, but it's pretty pointless telling you because you know it all already.